The Devil's Mistress
By Dana Keylits
Chapter Four
The local news cut into regular programming, flashing photographs of both Detective Beckett and the grainy image of the couple who'd been taking pictures outside of the twelfth precinct, with instructions to call a hotline number if anyone had any information that would lead to Beckett's whereabouts, or the identity of the young couple. Within twenty-five minutes, over three hundred calls had been logged. Most of them crank callers; some of them from people who claimed to have seen Beckett at a mall or grocery store, one caller was positive that she was sitting at a strip club enjoying a lap dance. A couple of callers were mediums claiming to have 'inside' information.
And then, forty-seven minutes after the first alert aired on local television, a call came in from a man claiming to be one of the two people in the photograph. A uniform was dispatched to pick him, and his camera, up. And he was currently situated in the conference room, his SD card inserted into Ellis' computer as they scrolled through his photographs.
"It was a new camera, you know? So we were just screwing around, trying different settings," the young man explained, seemingly impressed that his day of screwing around might actually break one of the biggest cases of the year, the abduction of an NYPD detective by the mistress of one of the most notorious serial killers of their age.
Ellis quickly scrolled through the pictures until they reached a series of them that were taken near the Twelfth. She slowed down, until images of Beckett appeared, and Castle gasped, his throat constricting as he watched the photographs document his partner's abduction.
"Whoa," screwing-around-guy quipped. "I didn't even know that was happening. I was just snapping pictures. Holy shit! This is epic!"
Castle shot him an irritated glance, about to snap at him like an angry turtle on a hot day, when Ryan shot up from his chair. "I'm going to need you to come with me," he gestured at the man, waving him through the door. "We need to get your information, you know, for the reward."
"Whaaaat? There's a reward? Score!"
Castle gritted his teeth, closing his eyes against the gathering storm of rage building inside of him and he silently offered a prayer of thanks for Ryan's quick thinking, getting that little punk out of here.
"There it is," Gates pointed.
"Bam!" Esposito slammed his fist against the table. "Zoom in and print that," he instructed Ellis, who was already sending the image to the printer. Esposito snatched it from the tray. "Gonna run this," he mumbled, reaching for his phone as he stared at the grainy, but perfect image of the limo's license plate.
"This is our break, Mr. Castle," Gates reassured him, gently squeezing his shoulder. "We're going to find her."
Castle nodded, biting his thumbnail. "Everyone keeps saying that," he muttered. "Including myself." He looked up at Gates with glassy, tortured eyes. "I just hope it's true."
Alexis and Pi cleared the table of the pizza boxes, the bowl of barely touched salad that Pi had insisted on throwing together, dressing it with a homemade vinaigrette that Martha had to admit was extraordinarily good, and the dishes that still held half-eaten wedges of pizza on them. While they'd barely made a dent in the food, at least they'd all put something in their bellies.
Martha started another pot of coffee as Jim retreated to the living room, rubbing his eyes, stifling a yawn, praying silently to his higher power that somehow, some way his daughter would be returned to them safely. Martha floated over, handed him the steaming mug as the kids finished the dishes. She was about to launch into another round of reassuring verses to offer him, when the phone rang.
They all stared at it.
Alexis picked up the cordless phone, a squeaky hello passing her lips.
They stood up, watching the young redhead as she nodded. She covered the receiver and announced, "They have a plate, a limo rental, and an address." She nodded again. "They're going there now."
Martha clasped her hands together, leaning into Jim. "Oh, thank heavens!" she breathed, one hand fluttering to cover her mouth as she closed her eyes in relief. "They're going to find her, I just know it."
"From your lips to God's ear," Jim Beckett whispered, his face stoic, his optimism held safely at bay. He wasn't going to celebrate.
Not yet.
Not until he had his daughter safely in his arms.
Gates slammed the phone in its cradle and hurried from her office. "Warrant is coming through now. Go, go, go!" she ordered as Esposito and Ryan shot up from their chairs, grabbed their jackets and raced down the hall, disappearing down the staircase in less than twelve seconds.
"Wait," Castle called after them.
"You're with me, Mr. Castle," Gates informed him as she snatched the warrant from the printer and grabbed her keys. "Let's go."
The blood splattered in concentric patterns across Kate's face, over her chest, running in rivulets down her arms, and she clutched the scalpel tightly as she struggled to free her other wrist, fighting against the rise of bile at the back of her throat, the thundering of her heart as the adrenalin coursed through her veins with the speed of a bullet train on a long trip.
Dr. Nieman sat crouched on the floor, her hands pressed against the open would Kate had just slashed across her chest, a look of horror, of disbelief, of rage in her eyes. "You bitch!" She screamed. "I was trying to help you, and this is how you thank me?" She struggled to her feet, knocking over the instrument tray, sending a shower of needles and scalpels, clamps and other metal devices to the concrete, a deafening shattering sound assaulting their ears as the instruments skittered across the floor. She reached the cabinet in the corner, pulling out gauze and towels, attempting to stem the flow of blood. "He warned me. He told me to be careful," she muttered under her breath. "Oh, no. No, no, no. He's going to be so displeased."
Kate had managed to free her other wrist and was working on her ankles when she heard the explosion from the other room. Both she and Dr. Nieman stopped, staring at the door behind the surgical table. After half a second of deafening silence, Kate heard the sweetest sounds of her life, and suddenly everything took on a slow-motion-like ethereal quality.
"NYPD, show yourself!"
A cacophony of noise rippled through the door; angry voices, sounds of glass breaking, doors being opened and ripped from their hinges, dogs barking, boots hitting the ground, hands toppling furniture.
And one name, one name being repeatedly called from the mouths of familiar voices, from his voice.
"Beckett! Beckett where are you?!"
She closed her eyes and exhaled. Then, glaring at Kelly, who was standing perfectly still in the middle of the room, her hands still pressing the now blood-soaked towels to her chest, Kate took a deep breath and shouted, "I'm here! Castle! I'm here!"
As footsteps quickly approached, Dr. Nieman slowly smiled. She calmly crossed the room and stood against the far wall. "We'll meet again, Detective." She whispered.
And, before Kate even had the chance to realize what was happening, Kelly had opened a secret panel and disappeared through it.
Kate lunged at the final restraints, her fingers trembling as she attempted to release the buckle. "Castle!" She shouted. "I'm here!"
The door burst open and in flowed half a dozen well-armed, flak-jacketed cops, Ryan, Esposito, Castle and Captain Gates bringing up their rear. Castle hurried to stand behind her, and the sight of him, wearing his Kevlar with the word WRITER emblazoned in white across the chest, the vest that she had so brusquely dismissed as unnecessary six years ago, had rolled her eyes at a million and one times, immediately soothed her.
"Kate, oh my God!" he cried, rushing to her side, not sure of where he could touch her, alarmed by the blood that covered her in Rorschach like patterns.
She absently shook her head, warning him off. "Not my blood," she barked, pointing at the hidden door. "She went through there! Go!"
Everyone but Castle and Gates broke through the panel, the echo of boots descending concrete steps rising out of the hidden opening. Castle grabbed a towel and started wiping at Kate's face and neck while Gates finished releasing the final binding attached to her ankle.
"Kate," he whispered, fingering the steri-strip on her cheek. "You're cut."
Her finger floated up to touch the bandage. "That's nothing compared to what she was planning to do," she gestured in front of her face in a circular pattern. "In case you haven't noticed the artwork."
"She sent us a photograph," Gates replied, walking to stand beside Castle, one hand on her hip.
"What?"
"She emailed Mr. Castle. A photograph of you," she waved her hand in Kate's direction. "Unconscious, your face marked up with black pen."
"She was going to perform surgery," Kate informed them.
Gates took in the room, the blood, the fallen instruments, the scalpel that was still clutched tightly in Kate's fist, Kelly Nieman's blood dripping from it. "By the looks of it, Detective, you're the one who performed an operation."
"I caught a lucky break," she started, distracted by the sounds of footsteps ascending the secret staircase. "Was able to take advantage of the crazy."
Esposito appeared through the doorway, a hang-dog look on his face. "We lost her," he admitted sourly.
"You what?" Captain Gates barked.
Kate raised her hand and let it fall in her lap, not surprised by this turn of events. "She easily had half-a-minute on them, Captain," she explained, defending her comrades. She glanced at Espo. "Where did the stairs lead?"
"Driveway out back."
"She probably had a car out there," Kate surmised, biting the inside of her cheek and shaking her head.
"And with no way of knowing what make or model, we're searching blind," Castle summarized.
"I don't care. Get uniforms to canvas the area, see if we can get a description of that vehicle and an APB on Kelly Nieman. She didn't just disappear into the ether," Gates ordered.
Kate swung her legs around the table and castle helped her stand up, cradling her elbow with the palm of his hand. She felt unsteady on her feet, but grateful to finally be vertical. She leaned into him heavily, savoring his familiar scent, the warmth and vibration of his body, the hum of his booming voice. She felt the swell of unbidden tears rimming her eyes, realizing she'd been genuinely worried she would never see him again.
It had been her greatest fear.
Esposito touched her elbow. "I'm glad you're okay, Beckett," he offered, squeezing her arm before heading out the door.
She smiled, glancing up at him through unfocused eyes. "Thanks, Javi."
"Let's get you to the hospital," Castle suggested, wrapping his arm around her waist and leading her to the door.
"I'd rather just go home," Kate replied.
"You need to go to the hospital, Kate," Gates instructed. She gestured up and down. "You're evidence. They'll need to take pictures, gather forensic samples. And you really should have that cut looked at."
Kate nodded resignedly. "Fine, let's just get the hell out of here." She nestled into Castle's arms, letting him lead her through the busted-through door that hung on one hinge, gingerly side-stepping the mess left in the rest of the house by the police raid, out the front door and into a waiting ambulance.
"I'd better call home, let your dad know you're safe."
Kate looked at him sharply, annoyance framing her exhausted eyes. "You told my dad?"
A/N: Merry Christmas to all of you on the other side of the world! Especially my favorite Aussie, KB! Chapter Five will be my Boxing Day gift to you! :-) Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and kind words. It is much appreciated. One more chapter left!